Sheffield United striker calls for referees to be held accountable for mistakes after Bournemouth howler

Victory over the second-placed Cherries could have taken United up to third in the day’s early kick-off, and given their hopes of qualifying for the end-of-season play-offs a significant boost.

But their hopes were dashed by a combination of good saves from Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers and an inexplicable decision from referee Dean Whitestone, who failed to point to the spot after Morgan Gibbs-White was cleaned out by Cherries defender Nat Phillips.

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The mystery only intensified when Gibbs-White revealed after the game that linesman Akil Howson had told Whitestone that he should give a penalty.

The game finished 0-0 and despite a number of big calls going against them in recent weeks – including an incorrect offside decision at Blackpool and another penalty not given at Stoke City – United remain inside the play-off positions with just five games of the regular season remaining.

“The boys in there are a gutted,” McBurnie said of the mood in the Blades dressing room.

“It kind of feels like two points dropped. We had enough clearcut chances and then the penalty, I have no idea how the referee hasn't given it.

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“It's beyond crazy. I saw it on the pitch and I knew it was a stonewall penalty and we've seen it back and it's even more of a penalty than I first thought. The referee couldn't explain himself when it came to it but we also had clear-cut opportunities that we should be taking.

“He can't have been more than four or five yards away, Morgan's got on the ball and touched it and the lad has absolutely wiped him out, got nowhere near the ball.

“I asked the referee for an explanation and he couldn't come up with anything. He just told me to move away. I asked him politely and not so politely and both times he told me to move away.

“We make mistakes like that and we're held accountable for them, so I think it's only right that they are as well.”

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